The Kind of Mistake That Never Happens
by HecateA
Summary: Despite everything that Andromeda has learned about Soul Marks at Hogwarts, she still doesn't understand what hers means and why she would have it. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Enjoy this Soul Mark AU! It is highly possible that this thing continues pass this moment, so let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Beta: **Jet

**Warnings: **NA

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**Stacked with: **MC4A; Shipping War; Ornate Oscillating Obelisks; Tasty Yandras

**Individual Challenge(s): **Misunderstood; Slytherin MC (x2); Bow Before the Blacks; Brush; Winter Wonderland; Seeds; Times Go On; Old Shoes; Themes and Things A (Family); Themes and Things B (Risk); Themes and Things C (Blanket); Booger Breath; Rian-Russo Inversion; In a Flash

**Representation(s): **Christmas Break; Soul Mark AU

**Bonus challenge(s):** Ntaiv; Enfant

**Tertiary bonus challenge: **Olivine

**List (Prompt): **Potential B Plots (Bonding with a small child)

**Word Count: **741

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_**Shipping Wars**_

**Ship (Team): **Andromeda Black/Ted Tonks (Pure Traitors)

**List (Prompt): **Spring Micro 1 (Soul Marks AU)

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**The Kind of Mistake That Never Happens**

Because it was their first night back from Hogwarts and Narcissa had so clearly missed them, Bella and Andromeda returned to their old beds in the nursery that was now Narcissa's room and they had a sleepover. Narcissa was over the moon for the chance to catch them up on the four months while Andromeda braided her hair up, her feet resting on Bella's knees as they took turns teasing her about her adventures.

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts," Narcissa sighed as Andromeda tucked her in. Even on a special occasion, Father would only be so lenient with curfew.

"It'll come," Andromeda said, smoothing down the blankets over her.

"What was your favourite part?" Narcissa asked. "Did you learn anything new?"

"Lots," Andromeda promised.

"Is it… Is it a bit scary to be with so many new people and doing so many new things?" Narcissa asked shyly.

Andromeda swallowed hard.

"Well," she said. She felt Bellatrix's eyes on her and knew she couldn't answer any further. "No, not at all, Cissa. You're always safe and sound. Just like you are now. Sweet dreams."

"Sleep well, love," Bella said, kissing Narcissa's forehead.

In no time, their little sister was asleep. They walked around the room, dimming the gas lanterns and brushing their own hair and getting ready for bed.

"Goodnight," Bellatrix said.

"Goodnight," Andromeda said. She clutched her sheets to herself, but sleep didn't come.

"Dromeda?"

"Bella?"

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"How could you tell?"

"I'm your big sister. I can always tell."

Andromeda twisted in bed so that she faced Bella, more or less. She could vaguely see her sister's mane of much wilder curls by the glow of Cissa's night light.

"Cissa made me think about… Well, about all the things I've learned. As a treat before the holidays, Professor Flitwick told us all about Soul Marks."

"He does that," Bella nodded.

"I was just thinking…" Andromeda said quietly. "Are they ever wrong?"

"Soul Marks?" Bella asked. "I don't think so."

Andromeda chewed on her lip. Her fingers danced over the outline of the apple tree that had appeared on her calf when she'd arrived at Hogwarts. At first she'd gone to see Madam Pomfrey, who had told her what this mysterious new mark was. A byproduct of carrying magical ability was that magic sometimes came forwards in strange ways, she'd explained. Unless it caused her pain, there was nothing to be done about it.

She'd gone to see Professor Sprout next, and she had identified it as an apple tree in bloom. She'd tried to reassure Andromeda; it had taken her thirty years for her soul mark to appear on her skin, though she hadn't gone into the details of who was on the other side.

But then it had started blooming. The pinkish and white flowers were pretty, that much was true. Sometimes when Andromeda wasn't thinking about it too hard, she looked at her soul mark with fondness. But soon she'd realised what made those beautiful flowers spring out of their green buds, and she didn't like it.

Well, she shouldn't say that. There was nothing wrong with the boy, as far as she knew. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs didn't have that many classes together, but he looked perfectly fine when they did. He seemed sweet, his homework was always done on time, he always made the people around him laugh, and he often stayed to help clean up after classes.

But _Tonks _wasn't one of the Wizarding names she'd been taught to recognize.

"Surely, sometimes the marks must be wrong," Andromeda said, twisting her hands in her sheets. "Nothing can be completely right _all _the time."

"This isn't about right or wrong it's about _magic," _Bellatrix said. "Magic is might."

Andromeda didn't reply to that, just curled up in bed again. It dawned on her that maybe… maybe she had been hanging her hopes on the kind of mistake that never happened. She chewed on her lip.

"Dromeda?" Bella asked. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," Andromeda said.

"You should take comfort in that," Bella said. "That your blood is so pure that magic chose you…"

"I don't think it's just purebloods who get soul marks," Andromeda said quietly.

"What?"

"Nevermind, I got confused in my lessons. We should try and sleep or we'll wake up Cissa. Goodnight."

She didn't sleep. But she did feel the soft brush against her skin that meant that a new flower had come in. And with that, she knew that she was right.


End file.
